Important - read this if buying or selling - scam to beware

[Guest Ruth]

We have recently advertised our motorhome for sale on 2 well known privately run motorhome websites, also in MMM and WMC. We are getting the usual run of scams along with quite a few (almost certainly!) bonafide enquiries. Imagine my surprise last night when one emailer enquired whether it was the same as the one on ebay as it had identical photo and copy! Sure enough, when I checked, my motorhome was the subject of a 10-day auction!! The photo and description were lifted intact from one of the websites although the details form was fabricated with some details that were utterly incorrect (e.g. engine size) or location (surprise, surprise they put it as London) and some fabrications such as “disabled accessibility (sic) had been added. The starting price was £8,000 lower than my asking price. I was shocked and angry, contacting ebay immediately and again this morning. It still has not been removed, but the auction is due to end today. Interestingly, I was unable to access any of the details of seller, the (100% positive!) feedback or the sellers other items, etc. One bid has appeared today but I can’t get in to see details. What is worst of all is reading through some of the other ads for MH’s on ebay last night, we think there are probably others as some traits seemed to carry through several, e.g. wording. One said they’d never used the motorhome but the photo showed a family next to it with a safari room up! Mmm… So, BEWARE – buyers and sellers alike. And please if anyone can add to this tale or offer any advice about further violations, scams (to do with buying and selling in general, not just with ebay) please post them. I have read ones to date but fear there are many more variants out there. Maybe we should compile a file of every story.

[Guest Mel E]

I remember reading somewhere: 'Never buy anything at auction sight unseen where the downside risk is more than you're willing to lose.'

[Guest Yorkshire Tyke]

Hi Ruth I have read many other such reports - even to there being ghost buyers and some people saying that their offers were never put forward I also agree with Mel E Never but sight unseen I would add (for some people) never Make an offer until you Have seen the goods ut there again as a Yorkshire man Who was schooled in Scotland - I have been taught to be "Thrifty" Now to the point What we do need is an organisation like MMM (Warners) to start collecting these reports together

[Guest Mel E]

Why not you? I'm sure Warners will readily support you with examples they come across and by passing your info on to their various Editors, but it needs a motivated person to do it. Surely Warner's job is publishing magazines, not policing the Internet. Have a go! Who better that a Yorkshireman with Scottich connections? (I, as a Yorkshireman, share an aircraft with a Scot, so it's very economically run!)

[Guest Brian Kirby]

Mel Then I hope you have another flying friend who's an economist, just in case your thrifty instincts get the better of your maintenance regime! Brian

[Guest Mel B]

We had a similar thing happen with a gas BBQ we sold on ebay, someone nicked out advert and picture intact - totally against ebay rules. We only got wind of it when someone who had been bidding on ours realised it was the same picture and asked if we had suddenly moved from Hull to Birmingham! The only way to make sure that someone can't lift your photos without it being obvious that they're not theres it so put a slogan or something across them when getting your photos ready for putting on ebay. But unfortunately you can't stop them nicking the text. As for all things expensive, buyer beware and don't pay any dosh until you've seen the good and checked them out property (ie vin numbers etc) in the case of motor vehicles, caravans etc.